What You’ve That Money Can’t Buy?

Can you calculate the value of goodwill?

PRICELESS!

Does goodwill get its due?

As a quality, it is underrated and undervalued. You seldom comprehend its potential even when you have it.

The effect of goodwill can be profound.

It takes time and effort to earn it, but once you’ve it, you can reap the benefits forever.

Some of my key achievements would not have worked out so well had it not been for goodwill.

I am reminded of my time as an individual contributor 20 years ago. I was yet to become a team leader.

As a producer and director, I sometimes turned to colleagues (for support) who stepped out of their way to help me. Some of them had no direct stake in my work. Helping me in my task was not a part of their Key Result Area (KRA). I was not their manager or their boss. Their contribution in my show was not necessarily going to add up or find mention in their annual appraisal.

But they still did. And I am grateful.

One of them is Roop Deb.

He was a producer on the Sports Desk, tasked with the production of the nightly bulletin. I asked him to edit a montage for a special year-end show. Not that there was any dearth of good video editors in the team, but I preferred his taste in music and felt more confident about his output.

I saved the footage in a bin and mailed him the details. He finished his responsibilities in his evening shift, went down for a smoke and began editing by or before midnight. He wound up at 4 or 5 in the morning and retired for the day.

Burning the midnight oil in the graveyard shift was over and above his daily responsibilities. But he happily did it, knowing he may not directly gain from it.

I am blessed to know others who have walked the extra mile to help me achieve what I did.

The same show had no extra budget for special enhancements or props in the studio set design. I wanted a different look for that episode, but no resources to make it happen.

I mentioned it to PK Mohan, the lighting director, a day before the recording.

“Bro, I will do something. You can check tomorrow morning,” he said.

The next day I stepped into the studio as soon as I reached office and was pleasantly surprised to see what Mohan had come up with overnight. He sat with the in-house carpenter and created interesting patterns in wood. He used his imagination to great effect. And let his lighting skill do the rest.

It worked wonders at minimal cost.

Mohan was one of the five lighting directors assigned for my show, on rotation. He was responsible for lighting the set and the subjects. He volunteered to take on the role of an art director to create a different look for the special episode. He went out of his way to make it happen.

The year-end special of this popular debate programme showcased snippets from the best episodes of the year. There was great content in the bag. All that was needed was to present it well. Thanks to Mohan, Roop and others, the show was well packaged and became a talking point.

I have deliberately shared an episode from my non-leadership years to make the point that Mohan and Roop knew I was not in a position to reward them for their contribution, but they still went out of their way to help me. That’s goodwill.

This is not a one-off instance. I have benefitted from their contribution at other times too.

The power and impact of goodwill is enormous. We may not value it as much, but it has far-reaching consequences.

Think about it! You too may have a Roop and Mohan in your life who stepped out of their comfort zone to help you shine.

Do you cherish your time with them? Do you celebrate them? And most importantly, do you play their role in the lives of others the way they played in yours?

You’ve benefited from their contribution. Someone else should profit from yours. This is how you give back.

If you can do that, you will kill two birds with one stone.

Your life will become significantly better. And you get to play a defining role in upgrading humanity.

Worth it, no?